Let Me Go
by Aehryn
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki was always applauded for his honesty and optimistic lifestyle. Until he gets involved in the lies and the path of Sasuke Uchiha's self-destruction.


**A/N:** Hi all! I'm back again after a long hiatus. This is the first chapter of a series! I hope you enjoy, let me know if you think I should continue and if you enjoy let me know why!

 **Some warnings:** PTSD, drugs, alcohol, mental illness, sexual trauma, sex. cursing

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Chapter 1 -Meet the Boyfriend

Sasuke awoke to an obnoxious alarm ringing next to his head. Sunlight burst through the bedside window causing him to squint as the room spun. Dark navy sheets were sprawled on the ground next to the bed and beside Sasuke lay a naked gray-haired, shark-faced teen boy.

"Fuck, Sasu', are you gon' answer that or what?" The naked teen groaned with his head buried in a pillow, his words slurring together. It took Sasuke a moment to realize it was not an alarm but his phone ringing.

Sasuke opened his mouth scold him for calling him 'Sasu' but his mouth was so dry that a cough came out instead. Quickly, he reached for his phone and ignored the incoming call. Within seconds, however, the phone started to ring again fervently. This time he checked the caller ID, it was Sakura – his girlfriend.

"Shit." Suigetsu knowingly snickered, his face still planted in the pillow.

"Hello?" The miserable teen croaked into the phone.

There was a pause on the other line, probably because she didn't recognize the voice of her currently hungover boyfriend.

"Did you ignore my call?" Sakura asked testily once she was confident it was him.

"No. Pressed the wrong button." Now Suigetsu rolled over onto his back to watch Sasuke lie to his girlfriend with a sly smirk.

Sakura seemed to accept this response and continued, "Where are you?" There was a hint of agitation in her voice.

"In bed, I just woke up." Sasuke drawled, letting his feet dangle off the bed as he slowly made an effort to get up. Suigetsu started playing with the younger teen's hair.

"Sasuke, it's almost 1 pm!" Sakura sighed, exasperated.

"And?" Sasuke countered, shoving the shark-faced teen's hand away from his hair.

"And you promised you'd be at Intermezzo to meet my best friend at one, remember?"

At the reminder, Sasuke wanted to crawl back in bed even more.

"Fine. I'll be there in 15," not bothering to hide his irritation as if he hadn't already committed to this previously.

As he said goodbye and hung up the phone, he heard Suigetsu snicker once more. "Hot date with the girlfriend?" Though the only response he got out of his affair was a pillow to the face.

After slipping a pair of briefs on, Sasuke went to shower. It took only minutes for Suigetsu to follow him in, not bothering to hide his nakedness. They showered quietly, Sasuke swatting Suigetsu's wandering hands with a warning glare, clearly not in the mood for another round.

Ten minutes later and Sasuke was mostly ready to leave the house. However, Suigetsu was still sitting on his bed looking expectant. "What?"

"Are you taking me to meet the girlfriend?" Suigetsu cackled.

"You're lucky I let you stay this long – get the fuck out," Sasuke scowled as he shrugged a t-shirt on.

With Suigetsu gone, the house fell into its normal emptiness. Kakashi, his adoptive father, was unexpectedly working this weekend so he had the full run of the house.

Having lost his driving privileges for some shitty reason made up by Kakashi, Sasuke began the walk to downtown Konoha. It was only 20 minutes, however, and he was rather glad for the excuse to be even later than he already was.

The fresh air felt good on his face and a freshly lit cigarette found him renewed. Well, as renewed as one could expect after a night of sex, drugs and heavy drinking.

The young teen's stomach growled the whole way to the cafe and for a moment he thought he would vomit on the street. As he approached the Italian coffee shop, he spotted Sakura and her "best friend". Had she mentioned that her best friend was a boy? He couldn't remember. Not that he was jealous or anything.

Sasuke stopped for a moment to observe. The strange boy was tall, blond, and entirely way too energetic. Not to mention, totally in love with his girlfriend. "Great," he mumbled under his breath as he walked into the café.

Sakura all but squealed when she saw Sasuke approaching their table in front of the window. She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. "Sasuke, this is my best friend Naruto," She excitedly gestured from her boyfriend to the blond named Naruto.

"Nice to meet you, Sasuke!" Naruto called cheerfully, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

Sasuke took the seat between the two and immediately felt like a third wheel. He mostly watched as his girlfriend and the strange blond talked about inside jokes and middle school stories. During these stories, Sasuke stared at the menu trying to decide what wouldn't make him barf and contemplated whether Sakura was anticipating him to take care of the bill.

"Sasuke," Sakura called, "Did I tell you Naruto will be coming to Konoha High starting in the Spring Semester?"

"No, you didn't," Sasuke said, trying to feign interest. The look on Sakura's face clearly meant that she had, in fact, told him before.

Naruto nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, I was homeschooled but I finally convinced gramps to let me go to public school this year."

"What a dream," Sasuke said sarcastically, Sakura nudged him under the table.

"Maybe we'll all have classes together!" Sakura sang as the waitress approached to take their order.

"One can only hope," Sasuke grunted. He nearly sighed in relief when he could finally order his coffee. He needed caffeine…and a cigarette.

The pink haired girl gathered her purse abruptly, "I have to use the restroom real quick. I'll be right back!"

Sasuke could see Naruto fidget anxiously, having caught on to Sasuke's sarcasm earlier.

The brooding teen watched the bathroom door shut behind his girlfriend before turning his attention back to the perky blond in front of him. "So, Naruto…How long have you liked Sakura?"

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed suspiciously, "What do you mean? We've been friends for like 4 years now…"

"Please," Sasuke snorted, "I see the way you look at her – you like her. More than friendly like."

Immediately, Naruto's face burned bright red and averted his gaze from the other teen. "I do not!" He denied but they both knew he was lying. He coughed before continuing, "Seriously, Sasuke, you don't have to worry about it. We're just friends. All she talks about is you."

Sasuke's smirk only grew, "It's cute that you think I'm worried."

He flicked a cigarette between his fingers and was about to light it when the waitress arrived with a disapproving look.

"Do you even like her?" Naruto huffed, a deep frown on his face. It was obvious that Sasuke was not interested.

The only response he got from the hungover teen was an indifferent shrug.

Just like that, Sakura was back. "Getting along?" She asked, her voice perky and hopeful.

Naruto faked a smile and nodded. "I'm so relieved! I knew you'd be great friends."

Sasuke merely smirked at the blond from across the table, his arms folded across his chest.

Regardless of how well Naruto initially bluffed, the outing was significantly awkward after Sakura's return. So much so that Naruto excused himself after he was done with his own coffee. "Er. Sorry, Sakura. I have to go. Tsunade wants me back home," the words came out forced and it was obvious that he was lying. If Sakura noticed, she didn't let on. She looked disappointed and hugged her best friend around the shoulders. "Aw, alright. See you soon!" The blond merely half-heartedly waved at Sasuke.

As soon as Naruto left the coffee shop, Sakura turned on him looking irate. "What did you say to him?" So she had noticed.

"Nothing," Sasuke shrugged, sipping his coffee.

This response only made his girlfriend angrier. "I know that's not true."

"He likes you." Sakura's face turned bright red at these words, her mouth dropping open. "It's obvious."

"We're best friends!" Sakura spat. "He does not like me. He was so excited to meet you!" At this point, it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself though.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Guys and girls can't just be friends."

"How original, Sasuke." Sakura scowled. It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Are you jealous?" She raised an eyebrow.

Sasuke snorted, "Of him? No. He's a dimwit."

"Excuse me?" Sakura's voice shook a little. Clearly, she was hoping he was jealous.

"Yeah," Sasuke was spurred on when he noticed the effect he was having on her, "He's a fucking idiot."

"You are jealous," Sakura laughed.

Something about the blond made him irrationally angry but it was not jealousy. In fact, it was interesting that Sakura was blind to almost everyone's feelings toward her – from Naruto's obsessive crush to Sasuke's platonic indifference.

Decidedly tired of the arguing, Sasuke placed cash on the table to cover the coffees and uneaten sandwiches and got up to leave.

"Sasuke?" Sakura called as he moved to leave. "You're leaving me here?" Her voice was so loud now she was practically yelling.

Sasuke knew it was cruel but still left his girlfriend standing behind the table. He could not bring himself to care in his hungover and wired state.

Sasuke didn't know why it was so hard to be a "good" boyfriend. Sakura was easily the most attractive girl in his school and had the highest marks in their grade. By all accounts, he should be happy. However, when she had asked him out, he only agreed to placate the girl. She was utterly oblivious to his indifference though.

Konoha was a small city surrounded by forest, nestled between mountains. Kakashi's modest house was in a complex just outside of downtown so it did not take long for Sasuke to make it back. The complex was rather tranquil, only disturbed by the mail truck rumbling outside the mailboxes.

"Fucking shit," Sasuke groaned as he tried to fish his keys from his pockets only to realize he locked them inside. He leaned against the door to their condo and unlocked his phone.

'When will you be home? I locked myself out," Sasuke texted Kakashi.

Unsure of when his guardian would respond, Sasuke decided to waste time at the local park. He had only ever been to the park on the occasional drug deal. Today, it was empty besides the two boys on the playground, their mom watching from a short distance away.

The cell phone buzzed from inside his coat pocket. '4 o'clock. Sorry, Sasuke. Gai is home. I let him know you're on your way over.'

Sasuke rolled his eyes and lit a cigarette before dramatically collapsing on a hill that overlooked the playground. There was no way he'd stay at Coach Gai's house for 2 and a half hours.

'I don't need a babysitter.' Sasuke texted back and shoved his phone back in his pants pocket. He could feel the wet earth dampening his jeans but didn't care. The phone buzzed again but Sasuke decided to ignore it. It was probably just Kakashi nagging at him.

There was something about the faint noise of the kids' laughter and the cool breeze that soothed Sasuke to sleep. When he woke, the sun was setting, his pants damp and he was thoroughly disoriented.

"What the hell?" Sasuke groaned and struggled to sit up. He moved to check his phone but found it ran out of batteries.

The two boys were now gone from the playground. In their place was a group of teens gathered around the merry-go-round.

Taking the sunset as a sign Kakashi would probably be home by now, he made his way back.

As he knocked on the door, the quick footsteps sounded ominous and Sasuke knew he'd be in trouble. Kakashi's worried expression was tinged in fury.

"Evening," Sasuke grunted and ducked under Kakashi's arm that was propping the door open.

"Where were you?" Kakashi shut the door quickly and turned on his ward. "I called you five times. Your phone was off." The look on Kakashi's face as well as how he was dressed forced Sasuke to hold back laughter for a second. Kakashi was still wearing his clothes from work but over his striped button-down shirt he wore a stained, light blue floral apron, an oven mitt was cradled under his arm.

"I fell asleep at the park," Sasuke said lamely from his spot on the stairs.

Kakashi checked his watch, "It's 6:30." Sasuke couldn't hide the surprise from his face. Had he slept for that long? "Why was your phone turned off?"

"It died," Sasuke shrugged.

The look on Kakashi's face was very familiar to Sasuke. It was a fusion of frustration and worry. "What if something happened to you?" Kakashi asked sternly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Like what?" He was too hungover to entertain Kakashi's fatherly anxiety. "I'm 16, I can take care of myself."

"Clearly not," Kakashi scolded and pushed Sasuke's house keys into his hand.

The two lived together since Sasuke was around 12 years old. It's not like he hadn't done worse things than fall asleep at a park.

"Have you been smoking?"

"No." Sasuke denied, habitually. It was clear that Kakashi didn't believe him as he outstretched a hand. With a huff, Sasuke shoved his pack of cigs into his guardian's palm. When Kakashi still gave him an expectant look, he cursed under his breath and added the small lighter in the other palm.

"Language Sasuke," Kakashi warned, though his voice was no longer cheery. Just tired. "Go wash off that awful smoke smell."

Moodily, the teen stormed off to his room. His room was devoid of any decorations. Across from his bed adorned with navy covers was a mahogany desk with his laptop next to a bookshelf that had various novels and one photo of him and Kakashi from when he was 12 years old.

After plugging in his phone, the room filled with the ding of his notifications, the missed calls and texts he had missed were just now coming through. Laying on his stomach, Sasuke scrolled through the messages. Most were from Sakura.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Where are you?"

"Answer my calls."

Sasuke groaned into his pillow. He was hoping she'd just break up with him already. Why couldn't he bring himself to do it?

"Yo Sasuke! Me and Juugo r going 2 Zaku's. U coming?"

The thought of partying almost made Sasuke gag. Finally, he checked his voicemail. He had 12 missed calls from Kakashi.

"Christ," Sasuke groaned and quickly shut off his phone again.

Just as he felt he was about to fall asleep, Kakashi's voice sounded from the foot of the stairs.

"Sasuke, dinner's ready."

Quickly spraying himself with the cologne Kakashi bought him for Christmas the last year, Sasuke trudged downstairs. He found himself hungrier than usual. The small kitchen table displayed the results of Kakashi's toils in cooking. Pork chops, a sweet potato, and broccoli waited for him at his spot.

"I tried a new recipe," Kakashi cheered. It was obvious the guardian was rather pleased with himself. The two sat in their respective seats at their cozy table and quietly set to work eating their meals.

"So, Sasuke, I got an interesting phone call today…" There was a pause as if Kakashi was bracing himself for something unpleasant, "A date has been set."

At first, Sasuke had no clue what Kakashi was talking about. The way Kakashi was staring, as if Sasuke'd flip a table at any moment, clued Sasuke in. "Whatever," he shrugged, though inside he felt his stomach flutter.

"Sasuke," Kakashi chided, irritated by how indifferent Sasuke. "The lawyers want to schedule a time to discuss your options."

"I'm not talking about this," Sasuke sneered, stabbing a piece of pork a bit more aggressively than needed.

"You're going to have to, Sasuke. Itachi wouldn't want-"

Just the mention of his name made bile threaten to rise up his throat. "Don't even say his name," Sasuke spat, almost choking on his words in his haste to get the words out. He stomped off to his bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind him.


End file.
